Monthly Archives: January 2017
“What is the price people paid to become a crab fishermen?” – Film maker seeks to preserve Kodiak King Crab History
Bait warehouse planned for Route 1 in Thomaston Maine
A Canadian man has plans to build a bait storage facility on Route 1 near the town line with Warren. The facility would be run by Jamie Steeves of J&J Lobster in Rockland, who said he was a longtime business partner of François Benoit of New Brunswick. Benoit owns the lot where the bait warehouse would be built, but Steeves said the warehouse was his project alone. Neither Steeves nor Benoit could be reached for additional comment, but, according to Thomaston Code Enforcement Officer William Wasson, the facility would hold frozen lobster bait that Steeves would sell. The Thomaston Planning Board approved the conditional use of the property Dec. 20 for fish and shellfish loading, processing, depuration and storage and conducted a site walk of the lot Dec. 23. According to the minutes from the site walk Dec. 23, the plan includes a single 40-by-100-square-foot building that will be maintained at subzero temperatures. Read the story here 11:37
Air Freight plan would see lobsters expressed to China
Shelburne-based First Catch Fisheries’ parent company is chartering a cargo plane to fly lobsters directly to China from Halifax to break through a logistical bottleneck. Fishing Forever, the China-based parent of the Nova Scotia lobster company, is slated to load up a Boeing 747 with the crusty crustaceans on Jan. 7 to get them to that Asian market faster, Tony Shi, the company’s vice-president, said in an interview. “It will take off from Halifax, stop in Anchorage, Alaska for fuel . . . (and land in) Zhengzhou in central China,” Shi said in an interview. There are then to be two more flights, on Jan. 14 and Jan. 21, ahead of the Chinese New Year during which the Chinese typically celebrate with elaborate feasts, and then three other flights in the month to follow. Read the story here 11:11
Nova Scotia: High winds and rough seas hampers fishing in first weeks of lobster season
High winds and rough seas hampered fishing efforts during the opening three weeks of the commercial lobster along the south shore, negatively impacting landings and driving up the shore price to $7 leading up to Christmas Day. “Catches are way down,” said Clark’s Harbour buyer Gary Blades, C&R Blades Ltd. as he watched lobster fishing boats returning to port on Dec. 20, after almost a week of sitting idle due to the weather. “There’s no comparison to last year,” said Blades, when fine weather prevailed throughout December, enabling fishing boats to get out and check their gear almost every day. All is not gloom however, says Lockeport buyer Mike Cotter, Cotter’s Ocean Products. “Things are moving. Lobsters are selling,” he said. “The price is at $7 so fishermen are pretty happy with that. There’s been no tragedies. No one is going to be stuck with any great volume on land, which is good. Read the story here 08:53
Thought to be the oldest Maine-built fishing vessel that’s still sailing, Schooner Mary E is coming home for good
A little more than 110 years after the schooner Mary E was launched here on the Kennebec River, the oldest Bath-built wooden vessel known to be still afloat will soon return home for good. The Maine Maritime Museum is set to acquire the Mary E, a two-masted clipper built by shipwright Thomas E. Hagan in 1906, later this month from its current owner, Matt Culen of Pelham, New York. The pending purchase of the Mary E – also thought to be the oldest Maine-built fishing vessel that’s still sailing – will fulfill the museum’s long-standing goal to acquire a large, locally built sailing ship to top its collection of more than 100 smaller vessels. It also will be the second time that the Mary E comes home for repairs – the first was after the boat sank during a Thanksgiving Day hurricane in 1963 in Lynn Harbor, Massachusetts. Read the story here 08:12
Selling shark fins is now banned in Rhode Island.
A law took effect Sunday that makes it a crime to own or sell a shark fin unless it’s used for scientific research or in preparing a shark for ordinary consumption. Rhode Island became the 11th state to ban shark fin sales when Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo signed legislation into law in June. Hawaii was the first in 2010. Shark fin soup is popular in Chinese cuisine but animal rights activists say the practice of slicing off a shark’s fin and leaving the fish to die is cruel. The Humane Society of the United States says the laws will help global shark populations recover. The ban is one of several state laws taking effect on the first day of the year. This is a law of waste. There is nothing conservative about throwing legal shark fins into the landfill.Link 20:21
On Strike!! West Coast Dungeness crab fleet remains tied up, Vow to Continue Fight for $3 Per Pound Wholesale Prices
From the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association: As of 10:00 AM January 2, 2017 the West Coast Dungeness crab fleet remains tied up. Nearly 1200 boats, captains and crews are holding coast wide for re-establishment of the $3.00/pound price for Dungeness Crabs. Background On Monday, December 26, 2016, one very large West Coast fishing industry conglomerate (Pacific Group) instructed its subsidiary Pacific Choice Seafood in Eureka, California to reduce the price paid to fishermen for Dungeness crabs from $3.00 per pound to $2.75 per pound. This attempt to lower the ex-vessel price for crabs was scheduled to take place upon the opening of District 7 (Point Arena to Humboldt Bay) on California’s Northern Coast. Many fishermen believed that Pacific Group picked what was perceived as the weak link in West Coast fishing communities as a way of causing cascading price reductions in all West Coast ports that are fishing crabs north of San Francisco. Other companies buying Dungeness crabs were taken by surprise by Pacific Group’s move to reduce prices paid to fishermen. Read the rest of the story here 18:51
Canada’s opening stance for NAFTA talks: Common ground, not confrontation
The Canadian government is signalling the approach it intends to take should Donald Trump make good on his promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. is laying out some starting principles such as co-operation instead of confrontation. In a lengthy interview, David MacNaughton expressed his desire to see the countries propose common-ground, common-sense ideas that improve the old agreement instead of flinging out hardball demands that could produce deep, drama-filled bargaining. “We have done an extensive amount of work (to prepare for this),” MacNaughton said in the year-end interview. “We have a good sense of what would be in Canada’s interest…. “(But) the areas we need to focus on — and I think we are focusing on — is where is it not just in Canada’s interest, but in Canada and the United States’ interest… “I think if we’re just blatantly trying to push something that works for us but doesn’t work for them, that’s not going to be… quite as easy.” Read the rest here 17:41
Red tide clears off Collier County, but stone crab catch still down
The red tide lingering on Florida’s Gulf coast last fall and this winter has cleared up in Collier County. Fish kills were reported in December in Collier, but the algae blooms that bring thousands of dead fish to shore and cause beachgoers to cough and sneeze have, for the most part, stayed north in Pinellas and Sarasota counties, according to a report Friday from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Clearer water would be good news for the price of stone crabs and for local stone crab fisherman, who were hammered early this season by a red tide that followed Hurricane Matthew in October. The fewer crabs caught, the higher the market price for Southwest Florida’s most popular seafood. Catch totals are still down in Goodland compared with typical years, said Damas Kirk, of Kirk Fish Co. “Red tide isn’t showing so much anymore, but I think it’s done some damage,” Kirk said. “I think the stone crabs are having a bit of a food supply issue and are starving somewhat.” Read the story here 15:50
Catch Shares – ‘I have no fingernails’: Paul’s distress as livelihood slips away
Those are the words of Illawarra commercial fisherman Paul Heron – spoken amid a heartfelt plea against planned NSW government changes that will likely see him without a job. Those reforms – part of the government’s Commercial Fisheries Business Adjustment Program, announced last year – include the introduction of minimum shareholding from July 2017. That means fishers must hold a certain number of shares to be endorsed to fish. “It is basically going to make a small fisher like me, with a young family and a mortgage – I am two years into my mortgage – we are basically going to lose our house,” he told the inquiry. Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair told the hearing he had listened to fishers up and down the NSW coast. “The change is difficult, the change is hard, but it is necessary to have an industry going into the future,” Mr Blair said. A man in a suit. Video, read the rest here, including Paul Heron’s submission to the Senate inquiry into commercial fishing in NSW. 14:42
North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission to decide shrimp trawling regulations
The New Year will begin with a decision that could impact the livelihood of area commercial fishermen. The five advisory committees to the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission will meet jointly on Jan. 17 in New Bern to receive public comment on a petition for rulemaking that would, if adopted, impact shrimp trawl fishing in most North Carolina waters. The petition asks the commission to designate all coastal fishing waters not already designated as nursery areas as special secondary nursery areas, including the ocean out to three miles. It also calls for establishing clear criteria for the opening of shrimp season and defining the type of gear and how and when gear may be used in special secondary nursery areas (SSNAs) during shrimp season. The petition is being opposed by the North Carolina Fisheries Association,,, Read the rest here 11:42
Legislation being drafted to make it easier for Maine Marine Patrol officers to secretly install tracking devices on fishing boats.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources 
is drafting legislation that would expand the authority of Marine Patrol officers to covertly install electronic surveillance devices on the boats of fishermen suspected of violating state fishing regulations. The proposal is similar to one that faltered in the Legislature two years ago and is a response to ongoing concerns that some lobstermen are fishing more traps than allowed or engaging in other tactics to skirt Maine’s strict fisheries laws. The proposal also coincides with high-profile turf wars or personal disputes between lobstermen last year that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost or damaged equipment. The language of the bill has not been released, and DMR officials declined to provide specifics until the legislation has been finalized, consistent with a LePage administration policy. But in a general outline, DMR spokesman Jeff Nichols said the proposal would ease restrictions on Marine Patrol officers when they want to install electronic tracking or surveillance equipment on boats as part of investigations. Read the story here 10:07
The latest craze in Japan is year-old used fisherman jeans!
No one breaks in a pair of jeans better than a man who breaks through the ocean. Now it seems a new obsession is sweeping the nation. No longer do people crave to spend their money on jeans meant for schoolgirls, instead they want to buy jeans that have been worn by fishermen for over a year. “Just think – you could be the proud owner of one of these pungent, salty pairs of pants!” {note from the editor: no problem, can I please get the uber-baggy jeans from that first guy on the left ;-)} The jeans come from the city of Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. Fishermen are given free pairs of jeans to wear by the “Onomichi Denim Project ,” and the company takes them back after a year of being “aged” through their daily work. The jeans sell for up to 48,000 yen (US$408) each. Round up your old jeans, and read the rest here 09:31:12
Coast Guard rescues 1 fisherman aboard disabled crab vessel in Bellingham Bay
The Coast Guard rescued one mariner aboard a disabled vessel after he become disoriented in Bellingham Bay, Saturday. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a report from Station Bellingham of the disabled and adrift 27-foot crab in the shoals of Bellingham Bay with one person aboard at 3:05 p.m. The mariner was unable to give his exact position but was quickly located after Sector personnel tracked his location using his cell phone GPS signal. A Coast Guard Station Bellingham rescue boat crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium responded to the incident and safely removed the mariner from his vessel at 4:13 p.m. The mariner was reported to be in good condition and did not seek medical attention. The weather at the time of the rescue was 4-6 foot waves and 25-knot winds. Link 08:52
Obama Administration Issuing New Rules to Curb Illegal Fishing, Seafood Fraud
The Obama administration is issuing new rules it says will crack down on illegal fishing and seafood fraud by preventing unverifiable fish products from entering the U.S. market. The new protections are called the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, and they are designed to stop illegally fished and intentionally misidentified seafood from getting into stores and restaurants by way of imported fish. The rules will require seafood importers to report information and maintain records about the harvest and chain of custody of fish, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The program will start by focusing on “priority species” that are especially vulnerable to illegal fishing, such as popular food fish like tuna, swordfish, Atlantic cod and grouper. The government hopes eventually to broaden the program to include all fish species, NOAA officials said. Read the rest here 17:50
Letter: Misinformation about the seal hunt abounds – Capt. Wilfred Bartlett, Green Bay South
The snow and ice are here and the termites are coming out of the woodwork — what I call the ill-informed bleeding hearts. I am referring to the seal hunt protest that took place in St. John’s in front of Jen Shears’ store, Natural Boutique, on Dec. 11. Renee Gosse, one of the protesters, was interviewed by CBC Radio’s “On The Go.” When asked why she was protesting the seal hunt, she stated we are trying to educate the people of this province about the seal hunt; it is cruel, wasteful and unnecessary. I have been hunting and eating seal for more than 70 years. I have watched my grandfather kill pigs, goats and sheep, and chickens when they could no longer lay eggs and, yes, seals; also seabirds, because if he didn’t we would not have survived. Killing any animal is not a pretty sight,,, Read retired Captain Wilfred Bartlett’s letter here 14:53
Here’s the other iconic N.S. boat to be immortalized on a coin
A type of boat designed in Nova Scotia that’s become a ubiquitous sight at East Coast fishing ports over the past century will soon be found in the pockets of Canadians. The new 2017 commemorative loonie, part of a design contest by the Royal Canadian Mint, will feature a Cape Islander boat among other Canadian icons and landmarks. Featuring unmistakable high bows and an open workspace, the boat is believed to have originated in Clark’s Harbour around 1905. A write-up on the boat can be found on the town’s website as part of its local history section. ,”Most people now are pretty familiar with the Cape Islander boat,” said Leigh Stoddart, mayor of Clark’s Harbour, a small community on Cape Sable Island off Nova Scotia’s southwest coast. Watch a cool video, Read the story here 12:24
MDMR officials oppose proposed changes to NOAA shark regulations
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources oppose proposals by NOAA Fisheries that would increase shark regulations for recreational and commercial fishermen. NOAA proposes recreational and commercial fishermen required to complete an online shark identification and fishing regulation training course and use circle hooks when fishing for or landing sharks. DMR Executive Director Jamie Miller recently sent a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Miller believes the NOAA’s plan would “place punitive regulations on shark species that assessments have indicated healthy stocks which impact both recreational and commercial sectors.” Read the rest here 10:35
